Jamaica Hill Realty

Found a good tenet for my apartment and did some paper work and got paid a whole months rent.

Jay Goober was my buyer's agent for my search for an affordable 2BR condo. I was a first-time home buyer and pretty uncertain about the whole process. Jay was great - really walked me through everything. He was especially good at warning me off from places that didn't meet my own criteria that I'd told him earlier - he would give me a reality check (like "Didn't you say you really wanted a 2BR? This place really is only 1BR and also the furnace is old" - that sort of thing). Even when the place was higher priced and he would've made a bigger commission, he still stuck to trying to find me the sort of place I'd told him I wanted, within the budget I'd told him originally. BTW - there was a phase early on where he just turned me loose to go see open houses on my own, which tbh made me wonder if I'd been forgotten about or something, but in retrospect I see that that's actually a good way to do it - I did, in fact, need a phase of wandering around seeing lots of place on my own before I homed in on what I really wanted. So don't be surprised if there's a "Just go see lots of open houses for a month" phase at the beginning.  Once I targeted what I wanted, he really swung into gear and gave me lots of great advice. Very reassuring to know he had my back during all the stresses of initial offer, the price negotiations & the closing. He also clearly has a great handle on the JP market (practically knows every building individually). Highly recommended.

They are excellent.

I interviewed realtors on a visit to Boston in December, 2011. Maureen's presentation stood out - with her soft-spoken, but genuine enthusiasm for the house, and with her idea to fix it up (acting almost as general contractor, since I was out of state) on a small budget (less than $6500 - including walls and ceiling repaired, paint, 2 rooms of wallpaper removed, a stairwell painted, floors sanded and refinished, new flooring in kitchen, minor electrical, and staging), price it correctly, market it widely and well, and sell it QUICKLY!

Her enthusiasm infected ME, and for the first time I looked forward to the prospect of selling. this was really the turning point, for me. The only question in my mind was whether she could deliver, it seemed impossible, but she gave me a recent reference who confirmed her approach - her house had sold on its first day on the market. The other realtors were downbeat about the condition of the house, saying that it would probably sit for a long time, waiting for the right buyer, someone with cash. Once we had a buyer, the deal could fall apart with the inspection, or again during the appraisal. I'd be paying these realtors the same percentage (5%), and they weren't offering nearly as much. There was a termite issue of unknown extent, and some asbestos tape in the basement. I dealt with these issues myself depending heavily on Angies List, and discovered that I still needed a local general contractor. (it doesn't seem right to send someone a check when you're not able to see their work). I'd been calling Maureen during this time, and asking her advice which she freely gave, as well as for contractors she knew, and she never hesitated to give me names. Other realtors refused to divulge the names of contractors, for fear that I'd cut them out of the bargain. I really appreciated Maureen's willingness to help.

In late March, I was ready to sign the Exclusive Right to Sell agreement with Maureen, and she went to work. She had the contractors she already knew, in her rolodex, come to the house, met them, told them the scope of the work, got their proposals and sent them to me. When I agreed to the proposals and would send half the amount up front. She met them at the house and they would do their work, she'd inspect the work, and let me know that I could send the final payment. I was happy to cede control of these decisions, and I was delighted with the results! I think she would have adjusted to whatever level of input I wanted, and we did have one disagreement. She works for you, she will give you the benefit of her experience, she's probably right, but you have the final say. Her (legally mandated) goal is to get the best price for the house. The house was charmingly staged, and professionally photographed. Maureen's office prepared a really beautiful brochure, and we had our first open houses, both Saturday and Sunday, third week in April. We got an offer from the first open house, and the buyer seemed just right for the house, just right for the neighborhood, and financially solid, so I accepted it.

I didn't realize that accepting an offer is nowhere near the end of the journey, it's just the end of the beginning. We had the inspection, which required a negotiation over the old wiring. The buyer's home insurance balked at the knob and tube wiring. I knew there was some, but didn't think it was involved in the major circuits, The buyer had an electrician evaluate it, and it WAS involved in the major circuits. He gave an estimate for re-wiring, which Maureen sent to me. By the time I looked at it and got back to her, fuming, she'd already arranged for a second opinion, if I wanted one. I ended up splitting the cost with the buyer, with a credit at closing. We sailed through the appraisal, no problem. Maureen referred me to a RE lawyer as well, who did a good job, and it turned out there were a couple of problems with the deed, and with a new parking easement, which caused me much anxiety. Meanwhile, Maureen continued to fulfill her many obligations; arranged the final water reading, and got the smoke detector certification, keeping me informed.


I never thought I could pay someone that much money and feel that they deserved it, and I really think Maureen was underpaid for her work selling my house, considering what the other sales agents were offering to do (ie wait for the right buyer) for the same percentage. Maureen's office donates a percentage to a local charity, as well. She was always available for questions. The house sold for 30 or 40K more than I ever thought I'd get for it. She was the very epitome of the quietly confident professional.